Review was updated on 14 April, 2021
For many years, the only way to watch premium pay-per-view events – top-tier-boxing, UFC and WWE – was either on Foxtel or in a pub showing the fight. Now, you can access any event you like with no hassle and no subscription: Thanks to Main Event on Kayo Sports.
What is Main Event on Kayo?
Since it launched a couple of years ago, Kayo Sports has proven to be a huge hit with sports fans across Australia. Kayo took things a lot further, too, with a load of unique features that you can’t get on pay TV. The one piece missing from the streaming service was access to the big-ticket events that are reserved for pay-per-view on satellite and cable. The Main Event channel – running for over 20 years now – has been the only source of some of the biggest events on the boxing, UFC and WWE calendars. From the legendary 2006 Mundine Vs Green fight to the recent Horn Vs Tszyu bout and international events like Tyson Vs Jones Jr, Main Event has been the place to go to get your ticket to the action. And now, you can access Main Event on Kayo as well, via one-time payments for each event with no subscription needed.
In this Review
Main Event on Kayo – The Pros and Cons
The Good
The Gotchas
What can I watch through Main Event on Kayo?
Since it launched in 1997, Main Event has been open to bringing Australians the best of premium sporting (and occasionally concert) events of many types. But these days, you’re likely to find Main Event your go-to destination for live coverage of the sports that everyone talks about:
Paul Gallen v Lucas Browne
Paul Gallen’s star has been on the rise since he defeated the legend, Mark Hunt, in December 2020. The fighter is now primed to take the next step. Gallen will square off against Browne, who himself is a former heavyweight title holder.
Undefeated so far, Gallen has 10 wins and a draw. All experts agree that the skills he showed against Hunt has cemented Gallen’s reputation as the next big thing. Will the boxer live up to his new found reputation?
His opponent, Browne, boasts an impressive record: 31(fights) – 29 (wins with 25 by knockout) – 2 (losses).
Browne has some unfinished business. He won the heavyweight title in 2016 only to have it taken away because of a failed drug test. Browne will look to reclaim his legacy when he squares off against Gallen.
Watch the exciting bout on 21 April, 7pm AEDT onwards. The Main Event will be available to order from Kayo, even if you don’t have a subscription, from 16 April.
How much does Main Event on Kayo cost?
The pricing on each event on Main Event is set individually – as a pay-per-view service, there’s only the one single charge for access to the event for a specified time. With Main Event access via satellite or cable TV, you’ve already got your monthly bill to pay, and event access is an extra charge on top of that.
The great thing about Main Event on Kayo is that you only pay for the event – there’s no subscription charge. If you’re already a Kayo subscriber, that’s fine – your event access gets added to your account when you pay for it. But if you don’t subscribe to Kayo, you don’t need to – the event price includes full Kayo access for the duration. It’s easily the best-value and easiest way to watch pay-per-view events.
As a ballpark guide to what events cost, you’re looking at around $20-30 for WWE events, while the big-ticket boxing showdowns tend to sit around $50-60.
Stream Main Event PPVs via Kayo
Watch Main Event PPVs with Kayo Sports. From boxing to WWE and UFC, it’s all here. Catch the action from the biggest sports around the world LIVE!
Watch Main Event with Foxtel
Gain access to every Pay-Per-View Main Event. Enjoy the world’s biggest sporting events, which include boxing, WWE & UFC and watch them live with Foxtel!
Main Event on Kayo features
The key thing that’s made pay-per-view events difficult to access for some fans has always been the need to have a paid TV subscription active before you can buy access to the event. With the arrival of Main Event on Kayo, that’s no longer a problem. You don’t even need to have an active Kayo subscription – you can simply order and pay for your chosen event, download the Kayo app on your favourite device, and stream it live in full HD without hassles.
You get more than that, though. When you buy access to an event, you don’t just get to stream it live – you can replay it on demand for the whole duration of the event access period. How long that is depends on the individual event, but you’ll typically get several days of access to your stream – plus full access to all of what Kayo Sports has to offer, both live and on demand. That’s substantial extra value compared to buying an event on conventional TV platforms.
How to watch Main Event on Kayo
Now that Kayo is a mature, hugely popular streaming service, you have many options for watching events on it. The best choices are the dedicated streaming devices that support Kayo well. We’d recommend Apple TV, Telstra TV, and the new Chromecast with Google TV as the best options, with the latter a really affordable ($99) way of turning any TV into a full-loaded streaming machine. Owners of recent Samsung TVs also have a Kayo app right there on the TV.
Of course, you can also stream Kayo in any web browser on a desktop or laptop computer, or stream on an iOS or Android phone or tablet. If you’ve got a Chromecast Ultra already, then you can fling your event up on the big screen from one of those apps as well.
Devices supported on Kayo
– PC/Mac: Yes – MacOS 10.12+ (Chrome, Safari, Firefox) & Windows 10 (Chrome, Firefox, Edge); web browser only
– iOS/Android Phones/Tablets: Yes – Via native apps (iOS 11+ and Android 6+)
– Google Chromecast: Yes – Chromecast Ultra, 3rd Generation and Chromecast with Google TV for optimal streaming. SplitView not available
– Apple TV: Yes – tvOS 11+, 4th Generation or higher. Casting available to previous models
– Telstra TV: Yes – SplitView not available; Telstra TV1 limited to 720p.
– Android TV: Yes – Via
– Samsung Smart TVs: Yes – 2017 and later models. SplitView not available
– Playstation and Xbox: App in development – expected 2021
Main Event on Kayo verdict
Australia’s decades of pay TV have seen many huge sporting events broadcast live for a one-off price – but they’ve always only been available to those who already had a subscription. Kayo Sports’ integration of the Main Event channel with their already hugely popular home of all things sport means that for the first time, these events are open to everyone, regardless of where you are, whether you want to watch at home or on the go – and even if you don’t care to subscribe to any ongoing services at all.
Making Main Event access separate from the base Kayo plans is a brilliant decision by the sports streamer, one that removes all barriers to premium pay-per-view streaming. But it also gives those pay-per-view customers a delicious taste of the full range of sporting goodness that Kayo has to offer – great value for the customers, to be sure, But also a glimpse into the future of sports viewing for people who might not have tried it before. It’s a win all round!
What people are asking about Main Event on Kayo
No – the way Kayo has set up their Main Event access is to be as hassle-free as possible. You’ll only need to create a free Kayo account and pay for your event, and there won’t be any ongoing Kayo subscription charges unless you choose to subscribe.
Once you’ve paid for the event, you’ll have full access to all of Kayo Sports – all the live sports streams, and all on-demand content. That access continues until several days after your event has finished.
Yes – you’ll be able to stream your event on demand immediately after it’s finished, and for several days afterwards. The exact date that you have access until is specified when you pay for an event – and up till that date, you’ll be able to watch your event as much as you like, as well as anything else on Kayo.
The best way to stream Kayo – including Main Event streams – is by using one of the streaming devices that have a Kayo app available. Apple TV, Telstra TV and Chromecast with Google TV are all great choices that will also let you stream from many other services including Netflix. Alternatively, you can cast the stream from your phone or tablet with a Chromecast Ultra on your TV, or use the built-in Kayo app on recent Samsung smart TVs and Sony Android TVs.
Because all events on Main Event are one-off payments with no subscription required, you’re asked to enter payment details separate from an existing Kayo account if you already have one. This is done so that everyone can pay to stream the event, whether or not they’re a Kayo subscriber. It won’t affect your regular Kayo subscription price, and you’ll only ever be charged once per Main Event that you purchase access to.
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